News

Simultaneously Supporting Four COCOMs

3/26/2015

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Airmen assigned to US Air Forces in Europe-Air
Forces Africa simultaneously supported four large-scale defense exercises under
four different combatant commands, according to a March 25 release. The
exercises included US European Command’s Austere Challenge 2015, US Africa
Command’s Judicious Response 2015, US Strategic Command’s Global Lightning
2015, and US Transportation Command’s Turbo Challenge 2015. “We live in a very
dynamic and evolving world, where it seems there is always more than one
emergency taking place,” said Lt.
Gen. Darryl Roberson, commander of 3rd Air Force and the 17th Expeditionary
Air Force. “We need to better understand how to best provide the most
comprehensive support when our forces are pulled in different directions.” The
computer-based command post simulations, which ranged from combat responses to
humanitarian assistance, forced commanders to make calculated decisions with
limited assets. Nearly 350 augmentees were brought in to support the two-week
event, according to the release. “By combining our efforts across these
commands, we have intentionally turned up the heat on ourselves to identify
seams or cracks in our efforts to provide the best land, air, and sea defense
capabilities our allies deserve,” added Roberson.